Folding steering wheel



June 26, 1923. 1,459,957

F. B. MERRITT FOLDING STEERING WHEEL Filed Jan. 10, 1922 [MFA/701E BY QAJ$- ATTOR/VfY Patented .lnne 26, 1%23.

FREDBICK B. IVIIEBRI'I'T, O33 SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA.

FOLDING STEERING WHEEL.

Application filed January 10, 1922. Serial No. 528,350.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDRIGK B. Mnnnrrr, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of the city of Sacramento, county of Sacramento, andState of California, have invented a new and useful Folding SteeringWheel, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to steering wheels.

lhe main object of said invention is to provide improved means forallowin that portion of the steering wheel, generally located over theknees, to be folded up and out of the way when getting in and out of avehicle.

In the drawings Fig. 1 is a plan view of the Wheel; Fig. 2 is a crosssection 01 the wheel; Fig. 3 is a side assemble view of the wheel. whenfolded.

My wheel consists oi the movable part of the rim (4) secured to thesolid part of the rim (5) by means of hinges (6) and locked by means ofthe catch (7) engaged by lug (8). When desired to raise or told thewheel, press on the bottom (9) which is secured to rod (10) which inturn presses down on spring (11) and disengages catch (7) from lug (8).

The spokes (12) are made as in any steering wheel, with the exceptionthat one Oil the spokes is made with a hinge (13) adjzv cent the hub toallow the Wheel to break.

To close the wheel pull back and down on the movable portion of thewheel (4t) with a sharp snap and catch (7) automatically engages lug(8).

fiaving thus described my invention, what I claim as new and useful is:

A steering wheel comprising fixed and movable rim segments, a hubprovided with the former, the segments being split on a line to one sideof the hub, a spoke on the movable segment at right angles to the splitline and extending to the hub, and hinges between said rim segments andbetween the said spoke and hub arranged to enable the movable segmentbeing folded up onto the fixed segment.

FREDRICK B. lViER-RITT.

